Resume
I love to see people and the systems they create reach their full potential. My personality, vision and passion lead me to opportunities where complex technology challenges interact with the goals of the people with whom I work. I love learning, and I love to share that passion with others through teaching, training and coaching. Here’s what that passion looks like in the diverse community of people with whom I’ve worked.
Highlights
- Agile/XP coach/trainer with over 16 years experience in software delivery in varied contexts, ranging from startup to studio to large enterprise
- Assessment, strategy & training for addressing needs for skills uplift, team maturity and agile/lean organizational development
- Dedicated focus on individuals and interactions through professionalism and trust between all members of an organization
Erie Insurance, UX Group [2012]
Agile integration with UX designers
I joined Erie’s talented group of UX designers as an agile coach to help them understand and integrate with the agile transformation already underway with several of the organization’s development teams. We found that much of the friction came from the difference in communication styles between the agile teams and the rest of the organization’s more waterfall-oriented approach. With a focus on agile values, we used several agile team techniques to increase face-to-face communication and foster more opportunities for cross-role and cross-team collaboration.
Nationwide Insurance
Build Capability [2011-2012]
Coach-the-coach & skills maturity uplift
I worked with Nationwide’s Build Capability group to craft coaching programs within the organization, focused on Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD). In addition to direct coaching, I framed a process for assessing a delivery team’s capability and footing for uptake of these practices, in order to provide better focused training and coaching.
I worked closely with software delivery teams, other coaches, architects, project managers, product owners and executive leadership to hone coaching and training processes with an eye towards an internally sustainable program which strategically leverages external expertise. This leverage has duel aims: 1) to build the group’s internal coaching program, and 2) to enhance a culture of learning, professionalism and excellence within the company’s software delivery community. It was my privilege to participate and see promising results on both fronts.
Nationwide Insurance
Application Development Center
[2009-2011]
Application Development Center: Coaching TDD, ATDD & Agile
I worked with Nationwide’s Application Development Center as an Agile/XP developer coach, helping to form a strategy for successful integration of their agile development lines with their various stakeholders. This role was a multi-faceted opportunity to work hand-in-hand with graphic designers, user experience designers and accessibility experts as well as product owners and the rest of the development team.
In this role I coached several teams in various XP practices, including test-driven/behavior-driven development (TDD/BDD) and acceptance test driven development (ATDD) using Cucumber. I also introduced BDD for JavaScript to my team, and spearheaded an effort to raise the profile of BDD for JavaScript within the organization, giving talks and demonstrations on Javascript testing frameworks.
Adelphus Solutions/BoxCast LLC [2008-present]
Ruby on Rails consultancy, and live streaming video systems
I co-founded Adelphus, and at that time we were possibly the only Rails consultancy in the Cleveland area. In addition to Rails development work, we also developed a live video webcasting product. In 2009, we dissolved Adelphus and formed BoxCast LLC to further develop our video solution. The PC-based encoding module became an embedded linux box backed by a cloud-based service, with an aggressive emphasis on simplicity of use, accessible price point, and massive scalability. As a startup entrepreneur I wear a lot of hats, most of them ill-fitting :)
